Tourist officials in Belgium are supporting a visitor map that encourages trips to brothels in Antwerp.

The map, which is backed by the Flemish Government, the city of Antwerp and Tourism Flanders, recommends visits to a “mega-brothel with 51 sex suites where 102 prostitutes alternately work around the clock” in the red light district.

On the “by night” section of the map, which is entitled “Antwerp for young people”, there are directions to the brothel under the heading: “The oldest trade in the world.”

It goes on to say: “Antwerp has a sexy attraction ... in Villa Tinto almost everything is the colour of love – down to the toilet. Looking is for free.”

After being approached by TimesTravel, the tourist board initially denied it was aware of the map, which is produced by a private organisation called Use-It. However a spokeswoman for Tourism Antwerp later said: “Villa Tinto is by no means a city project nor subsidised by the city financially, nor did the city support the development of the project.

“The City of Antwerp’s aim is to move prostitution from the control of organised criminals, and combat crime and violence fostered by conventional red light districts.” She added that tourist officials were not responsible for the map’s content.

More than 70,000 British tourists visit Antwerp each year, most of them coming to see its stunning cathedral with its Rubens paintings, as well as Rubens House, where the great painter lived in the 17th century. The tourist board has recently pushed the city’s “trendy” credentials, which include several popular night-clubs, a fashion district selling designer clothes and a flea-market offering retro secondhand garments.

Antiprostitution groups such as the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women say that it is “sick” to encourage sex tourism. It estimates that 50-85 per cent of women in prostitution experience violence.

Two years ago CATW criticised Thomas Cook for including tours of Amsterdam’s red light district in one of its brochures. The tour operator still has “Dark Amsterdam” tours, but has since stressed that they are not suitable for children – previously not stated.

Times recommends

• The HQ of the great morairaway.com villa scam: a postbox
• The bloggers' travel guide to. . . Copenhagen and Malmö
• A Devon holiday with mates - on a budget